A Fantastic Life
by BekaOperetta
Summary: Post Angels in Manhattan; The Doctor visits decides it's time to use his "one last day with his beloved." DISCLAIMER: I own nothing you recognize.


They made a point to look in every police box they happened upon. It had almost become a game to them. It never failed each one empty. This time… they knew.

"John...this is it." he nodded, a TARDIS, not his anymore, but TARDIS none the less. The thought of her made him smile.

"Open it." She fondly ran her hand along the frame, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Wow." Rose made her way to the console, twirling to take in the entire view. She stopped when she caught sight of John leaning against the TARDIS door. "It's still bigger on the inside." he smiled, the wonder in her eyes made his heart melt.

"Run to me." her smile grew. She skipped back down the ramp and jumped into his arms. He spun her around, squeezing her like he hadn't held her in a lifetime. Then gently set her back down on her feet. Rose affectionately knotted her fingers behind his head; he gently tugged her closer by her waste. There was a moment of desperation in her eyes and John tenderly placed his lips on hers in response. They felt so soft and fit perfectly against his. She ran her fingers through his hair, and eventually pulled away both blushing and breathless.

"Every time Rose," he needed her to know. "I wanted to kiss you every time." she smiled close to tears, remembering satellite five, the impossible planet, the wire, all those adventures.

"Me too." she let out a little laugh. Someone cleared their throat behind her. It had to be him. Rose searched John's eyes for conformation. He could clearly see the fear, and longed to take it away.

"Go on." He encouraged. She took his hand and squeezed it so tight he was sure it was going to fall off. Anxiety was building in her chest, she simply wasn't ready, but then would she ever be?

The Doctor felt his palms getting sweaty. It was Rose Tyler. Here in his TARDIS. John directed his gaze passed her watching The Doctor who was clearly growing uncomfortable. She slowly turned her eyes fixed on John until the last possible moment. At the sight of him, her smile instantly grew. He was so different. Her right hand flew up to her mouth in shock.

"You're taller." he laughed relieved. "And your hair is... different." she continued up the ramp to the bridge, not daring to let go of Johns' hand. The Doctor couldn't move. He thought about this moment ever since he realized it was possible, but he never imagined it would feel like. His hearts were practically seizing. "And I love the bowtie." she gave it a little flick.

"Rose Marion Tyler. Oh, how I've missed you, there are a million things I've wanted to show you. Did you know the TARDIS is a girl? Oh, and I met a man named Alonso." she laughed while he babbled on. Every so often, John thought about what his next regeneration would be like. This new Doctor seemed to be running from daemons, running so fast his smile was resolute, a man constantly laughing to keep from falling apart. "Follow me!"

Rose took off behind The Doctor pulling John along. He was so lost in thought he missed half of the rambling. "John," he called out. "You are going to love this!" Rose glanced back at John who looked more than distracted. She stopped suddenly, John almost slammed into her still joined by the hand. The Doctor rounded the corner without noticing. She searched his eyes, but came up empty. Her hand gently caressed his face then gave him a firm kiss, willing her love to him.

"Coming?" The Doctors voice echoed down the corridor.

"Yeah." Rose smiled and took off with John still in tow.

"Here we are." The Doctor stood before a set of French doors. "One of the newest editions, and defiantly the most fun..." Rose was beyond giddy; he pushed the doors open with enthusiasm.

"A swimming pool!" The Doctor noticed she was still holding Johns' hand. Then he remembered the bay, when his life could have gone one way or the other. So many people wonder what life would be like if only they'd made a different decision. He was looking at it, both out comes. The lonely traveler and the girl who kept The Doctor, somehow the universe let them work.

"Is there anywhere you want to go?" The Doctor asked almost at a whisper. "You know one last adventure."

John and Rose shared a simple smile. "Well there is someone we want you to meet." Roses' statement hung in the air.

"Allons-y!" John shouted.

"Geronimo!" The Doctor hollered while dashing down the hall.

"Fantastic!" Rose called out, causing both The Doctor and John to smile.

"John, would you like to do the honors." The doctor offered. Without missing a beat John danced around the dash pulling a few levers and flipping switches. The TARDIS roared to life wheezing magically and his heart swelled in response.

"Hold on to something." The Doctor said dramatically, as he pulled the last lever. The shaking began. John grabbed hold of Rose, she laughed. They braced themselves for the landing.

"Right, where exactly are we?" The Doctor asked dashing for the door.

"The Tyler Estate." John answered with hidden implications, which The Doctor involuntarily snickered at.

"Hey now." Rose squeezed passed them, squinting at the harsh sunlight.

"Oh my God. I don't believe it." it had taken Jackie exactly five minutes to accept that The Doctor was out of their lives forever and yet here in her courtyard was that impossible blue box. "Gone and changed your face again did ya?"

"Jackie!" when he first met her he wasn't sure he'd ever like her, now as it turned out he had truly missed her and hugged her despite the resistance.

"Oi!" The Doctors' head flew up from her shoulder.

"Pete!" confusion crossed his face then he caught sight of the blue box.

"Are you the doctor?"

He threw his head back in a deep laugh. "Yes, I am."

"and this is Tony." Rose stood just under the door frame, hands rested on his shoulders.

"Tony!"

"How do you do sir?" Tony stuck out his hand. Light laughter spread between them.

"Very well indeed." The Doctor answered with respect. The last time he saw him, well he actually couldn't see him. He looked at Rose expectedly.

"This is mum and dads' half of the estate" she chewed on her lip. "This way." he followed John and Rose hands intertwined down a curved sidewalk across the quad. She still loved him, after all this time. She would still be at his side. If John hadn't come along, how different would things be? Would he have made her stay behind? He laughed to himself. No way, she would ask to stay and he would let her, without a second thought.

"So this is the kitchen." Rose made a grand gesture.

"Bananas!" he turned to John. "bet this house is never short of these." The Doctor snatched one from the bowl on the counter.

"Well," John piped up "you know my philosophy..."

"always bring a banana to a party!" they quoted in unison. Their laughter was interrupted by a shrill cry, instantly recognized as a baby. The Doctor stopped frozen with reality his eyes shifted from Rose to John then to the floor above him. Rose grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs, only to let go once they reached the top. She ran on ahead, he stood at the steps, still shocked. John walked up beside him and gave him a little shoulder shove.

"You're drooling." he joked. The Doctors' jaw snapped shut.

"She's happy then yea?" he asked mostly focused on Rose in the nursery trying to stop the crying.

"Oh, yes." he smiled. "Every once in a while I notice her staring off into space, and I know she wonders, but she always comes back." John tried to empathize. He missed the traveling, and the stars, and the TARDIS, the universe at his fingertips, but he would miss Rose so much more. Being alone, it was the curse of the Time Lords.

"How's the universe been?" The Doctor transferred his attention John.

"Still in peril." He teased.

"Ah, some things never change."

"Some things do." The Doctor said with a hint of pride.

John looked down at the floor. "You did the right thing." he reminded him.

"I always do the right thing." He smiled. "and I'm always fine with it."

It wasn't often John was at a loss for words, but when he could see through the lies he used to tell himself, there wasn't left much to say.

"Donna." He whispered, and proceeded to walk into the nursery.

"What?" he followed.

"Donna Breanne Smith." Rose gave John a disapproving eye. "Sorry love." he turned back to his counterpart "She wanted to tell."

"Brianne, "she interrupted "Means noble one."

"You named your daughter Donna Noble." The Doctor couldn't tell if his hearts were seizing or swelling.

Rose closed the distance between them. "Do you wanna hold her?" she passed her over into his arms.

He laughed "She's beautiful."

John drew Rose to him and rested his head on hers.

"For the longest we couldn't figure where she got her green eyes, but uh, seeing you it's sort of obvious." Donna had his eyes, all the wonders of the universe, and he'd never been so in awe. Then he felt it a warm tingle in the recesses of his mind, the feeling of happiness, and in twelve hundred years he was sure he'd never known anything so precious. Suddenly everything he had ever done seemed to be worth it for this one moment in time.

The walk back to the TARDIS was infinitely slower than walk from. 'The goodbyes are always longer' John thought to himself.

"Before I go I have something for you both." He pressed a few buttons on the consol. "here we are new sonic-screwdriver, with wood setting."

John laughed. "Glad you fixed that it was getting embarrassing."

"Figured it might come in handy." He added.

"Thank you." A few long awkward seconds passed. It felt like saying goodbye to a long lost brother, or distant cousin. Not that he would know. John turned to leave, after all how many times would the doctor have to say goodbye to Rose Tyler.

"Wait where you going?" she asked uneasy.

"Got some things in the house to sonic." He winked in exchange for two apprehensive smiles.

The door clicked shut and their focus shifted to the other respectively. "New, New, New Doctor." She grinned categorizing his current features, strong jaw, lanky physique, and those eyes green now, but they felt exactly the same.

"Same old Rose." beautiful, clever, and married with a daughter. He reminded himself and yes he was happy for her, but he missed her more and more as the years went by. More appropriately as the companions went by, The Ponds being the final straw in his decision to use the wormhole.

"We could do it you know, leave, explore the universe, comeback, and wouldn't even be gone two minutes." He didn't mean it, not really. Things would never be the same again.

"You would never do that." She smiled. He taught her so much, but if she had learned anything, it was that life is measured by the choices you make, and it's always better to make the right one.

"No," he would make her stay. It would be pointless, "but, you could ask." She looked down at the TARDIS dash; this conversation had become all too familiar. "Didn't even occur to you did it?" he offered a half smile.

A few tears spilled onto the TARDIS floor, he inched his was toward her unsure what he would do next. She tilted her head towards the ceiling to keep the tears from falling and cleared her throat. "I'm just too good." He placed a hand on her shoulder and fought back his own tears. She turned and burrowed her face in his chest; he buried his in her hair, committing the feeling to his memory.

"You did it." He whispered. "You made him better, and look at you." He gently pried her off him and tried to look her in the eye. "You have a fantastic life."

"What about you?" The Doctor offered her his biggest smile.

"There are a billion places to go and a hundred trillion years to see them in, lifetimes of adventures waiting to be had."

The Doctor wiped the tear tracks form her flushed cheeks and didn't flinch at the idea of mascara staining his tweed suit.

"Presents!" he tried to change the mood. "This," he pulled out a glass box with a rose etched on the side, "was originally used for Time Lords to send emergency messages, but I've revamped it. Now you'll get fancy out of universe email." He chuckled lightly, as she cradled the box like she had cradled Donna. "Rose Tyler…" he pulled her in for one last hug, and while he memorized her smell, she focused on the unique beat of his two hearts.

"My Doctor." She stroked his cheek and lastly places a kiss gently on his forehead. This time Rose Smith left the TARDIS of her own will and with no regret.

'Some are born great.' was The Doctor's last thought in Pete's world, as he pondered the adventures of John and Rose Smith, and the baby with two pale green eyes and two strong beating hearts.


End file.
